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Raise hands all those who've seen people smoking in close proximity to petrol/gas refilling activities . I've seen on three different occasions, Somchais happily smoking at gas stations, each time I was moved to leave with haste.

When I first came to Thailand in 1973, there were comparatively few cars in Bangkok (population c. 2 million). Traffic moved very fast, and most people traveled by buses, which were dirt cheap (1/2 baht) and provided very good service. Most people didn't need or want a car. Then as the city grew, cars suddenly became a status symbol. Surveys have shown that newly wed couples put buying a car ahead of buying a home or condo. The traffic becomes worse every year, but a car still seems to be a "must have". It wouldn't be so bad, if it was just one car per family, but that is not the Thai way. If a family has 4 or 5 people, they will "need" 4 or 5 cars. Car pools to go to work? Nonsense, where is the status symbol in that? It's one car, one person. It no longer make any sense to drive downtown, since not only do you face the massive traffic jams, but you probably won't be able to find a parking space when you get where you're going. Nevertheless, look at all the red plates (new cars) you see on the road. I bought my car when I lived in rural Banglamung and needed it to get around. Now that I'm back in Bangkok, it sits parked more often than not and I take the MRT and BTS, both of which are now getting to be almost as crowded as trains in Tokyo. The way things are going, Bangkok will soon be unlivable. I'm on the very edge of the city, in a quiet area with tree lined streets. But how long before the pollution reaches here too? Rural Thailand is still nice, and I may well end up moving to the North one of these days. Tourists don't stay very long in Bangkok now, instead heading for the beach or the mountains. Can you blame them?